Norwegian-owned Equinor is the latest company—like BP & Chevron before them—to have been forced to abandon its plans to deep sea drill for oil off our southern coastline in the face of community outrage. But we won't stop until this thriving marine sanctuary is protected from the fossil fuel industry for good.

The threat to life

The Great Australian Bight supports an abundance of life. It's a vital nursery for the protected southern right whale, home to endangered sea lions and more than 36 species of dolphins and whales.

Over 85 per cent of the animals and plants found in the Bight are found nowhere else on earth.

In December 2019, Australian offshore oil and gas authority NOPSEMA granted Equinor environmental approval to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.

Not only would an oil spill here affect wildlife and marine sanctuaries, it could devastate beach communities, fisheries and tourism. And, if tapped and burned, the oil in our Bight would single-handedly blow Australia’s carbon budget—and our liveable climate.

Sign up to our newsletter to keep informed about how together we'll protect the Bight permanently.

Keeping Big Oil out of the Bight

When we first heard of BP's plans for our Bight, we commissioned expert independent spill modelling to reveal to Australians what an oil spill on our shores might look like. It showed the potential for disaster along our coastline, all the way from WA to NSW.

Thanks to the public pressure our campaign has built, BP, Chevron and now Equinor have all pulled out of the Bight.

We've been helping to protect the Bight for a decade now, with lots of victories along the way.

Ultra-deepwater oil drilling is a high-risk operation that caused the world’s biggest oil spill accident, the Deepwater Horizon tragedy in 2010, when 800 million litres of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days. Just a month after the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, only luck saved Equinor-Statoil from a major disaster at its Gullfaks C platform in the North Sea. The Great Australian Bight waters are deeper, more treacherous and more remote than the Gulf of Mexico or the North Sea.

The Bight is no place for deep sea drilling, together we will continue to fight to make sure the Great Australian Bight is permanently protected.

Here's what independent scientific modelling shows an oil spill in the Bight could look like.

"The people have shown they want the Bight protected from drilling—it is time for the Australian Government to provide permanent protection. The next steps will be making sure that this special place is formally protected."
– Campaigner Pete Owen

Photo: Darren Longbottom

A groundswell of opposition

From the beaches of Australia to the harbours of Norway, the #FightForTheBight is a global phenomenon. In May 2019, the Wilderness Society formed part of a delegation to tell the Norwegian Government and other shareholders that Australians won't stand for oil drilling in our pristine southern seas.

Tens of thousands of people protested against its drilling plans in Australia and hundreds in Oslo. It is thanks to tremendous demonstrations of opposition like this that on 25 February Equinor withdrew its plans.

Everyone from billionaire Sir Richard Branson to surfing world champions Stephanie Gilmore, Layne Beachley and Mick Fanning are opposed to drilling in the Bight.

Quite simply, there’s no social licence for Big Oil to drill for oil in the Bight. The people have shown they want the Bight protected from drilling—it is time for the Australian Government to provide permanent protection. The next steps will be making sure that this special place is formally protected.

status

Victor Harbor paddle out

The groundswell of voices keeping Big Oil out of the Bight. Image: Darren Longbottom

Victor Harbor paddle out

The groundswell of voices keeping Big Oil out of the Bight. Image: Darren Longbottom

Paddle out event, Bondi November 2019

The groundswell of voices keeping Big Oil out of the Bight. Image: Rishi Beer

Paddle out event, Bondi November 2019

The groundswell of voices keeping Big Oil out of the Bight. Image: Rishi Beer

Paddle out event, Norway

Paddle out event, Norway

Our vision

The world already has more oil than it can afford to burn. It’s the wrong time in history to begin dangerous deepwater drilling in this pristine marine ecosystem.

Our oceans don’t just provide food. They work to recycle nitrogen, carbon and water — the building blocks of life. Most of the air we breathe is produced in our oceans. By supporting life in the Bight, we’re helping ourselves.